ROCKINGHAM - What initially started out as a pitcher’s duel Wednesday night between two familiar squads, ultimately led to a 5-1 Richmond Rattlers senior team win over the visiting Scotland Sliders.
Competing in their fifth game this summer in the Central Carolina Scholastic Summer League, the Rattlers picked up their third-straight win to improve to 3-2 after dropping their opening two games two weeks ago. Last week, Richmond swept the Pinecrest Pines in a home-and-home series.
Wednesday’s action was the first time Richmond and head coach Ricky Young squared off against their biggest high school rivals in the CCSSL, as Tuesday’s scheduled game, which was supposed to be the first of a three-game series against Chad Hill’s Sliders, was postponed due to inclement weather.
Young, who continues to reiterate the importance of the summer league’s value as a development program for his players, sent rising senior Cameron Carraway to the mound. And it was his near-flawless five-inning performance, combined with fellow rising senior Tyler Bass’ two innings of relief, that shut the Sliders’ bats down, holding them to just two hits.
On the night, Carraway faced 17 batters, struck out five, walked two and gave up just one hit. The right-hander allowed a single in the top of the first inning, which would prove to score Scotland’s lone run of the game, but Carraway sat the Sliders’ batters down in order in the second, fourth and fifth innings.
“We pitched very well tonight and played good defense,” Young said. “If we can do that, we give ourselves a chance to win. Cameron and Tyler are going to be two of our better guys next season, especially if they throw like they did tonight. This summer is an audition period for next year, and they threw the ball really well.
“We’ve got guys who can play multiple positions,” he added. “And I feel comfortable pitching different guys because we have guys we can move around on the infield and who play good defense.”
Using a 12-man batting order, which is allowed in the CCSSL, Scotland took a 1-0 in the opening half frame after a throwing error by the Rattlers saw a ball squirt into left field after a fielder’s choice out at first. Falling behind early has been something the Rattlers have faced already this summer, but they were able to muster a come-from-behind win.
After going down in order in the bottom of the first, Carraway helped out his own cause by leading off the home half of the second with a single to center field. Replaced by courtesy runner Jahan Jones, fellow rising senior Garet Weigman slapped a single to right field, moving Jones into scoring position at second.
Bass sent a ball to center field for the inning’s first out, but it allowed Jones to race to third base. In the next at-bat to rising senior Garret Richardson, a wild pitch by Scotland allowed Jones to cross the plate safely and tie the game at one.
Richmond would gain its first lead of the night in the third inning -- and not look back -- when Carraway led off again by getting on base, this time after Scotland’s shortstop made a shallow throw to first on a ground ball. Jones ran for Carraway again, and moved to second when Weigman sacrificed himself with a bunt. Using his speed, Jones dashed to third for a stolen base, and scored when the ball skipped into left field on an errant throw by the catcher.
Entering the sixth inning, with the score holding at 2-1 in favor of the Rattlers, Bass gave up a leadoff single before collecting a strikeout and back-to-back infield pop outs caught by Weigman behind the plate on a bunt attempt and foul ball, respectively.
Noting that his players “didn’t swing the bat very well” throughout the course of the game, Young’s team would come through in the home half of the sixth to get a little bit of breathing room. Rising senior Jake Ransom drew a walk to start the inning, and reached second safely two at-bats later when Scotland’s shortstop dropped the ball on a would-out force out on a Weigman ground ball.
With two on a one out, Bass reached first on a walk to load the bases for Jones, who batted for Richardson. Getting plunked on the first pitch he saw, Jones trotted to first as all four Richmond players advanced a base, scoring Ransom, making it 3-1.
And that’s when the game’s most electric moment happened, as rising junior Dallas Cowick dug in and smoked a one-out, two-RBI double into the gap in right-center, plating Weigman and Bass. The rally would end went Jones got caught in a rundown between third and home and a Richmond strikeout.
But it was enough, as Bass came in and closed the door on the Sliders in the seventh. A one-out walk was followed up by a force out a second base. While trying to turn a double play, the ball was sent over Ransom’s head at first, but Weigman, who ran down the line to back up the throw, made a head’s up play and sent a rocket to Brett Young at second to nab the advancing runner for the game’s final out.
“We took advantage of a few walks and errors,” Young said of the sixth-inning outburst. “We got a big hit by Dallas, and we were able to break it open. We feel like we have a lot of guys (at the plate) who can get some things done for us. The way baseball is, it’s not always going to be your night -- the next man has to be ready. I was happy Dallas was able to get that big hit.”
Junior Rattlers stage rally for 11-10 victory
In the junior team game, the Rattlers saw a five-run lead disappear in the fourth inning. By the bottom of the fifth inning, Scotland’s lead was 10-5, but the Rattlers scraped together three runs in the bottom half to make it a two-run game.
With the two-hour time limit nearing, the Rattlers got one more chance and managed to add three runs in the bottom of the sixth for an 11-10 victory. Rising freshman JD Lampley kept the rally going after he got stuck in no-man’s land between second and third on an RBI single. Caught in a run down, Lampley hit the dirt to avoid the tag, dove safely into third, and kept things alive for rising sophomore Tyler King.
With runners on second and third, King sent a liner to left field that fell for a two-RBI single, securing the junior team’s victory.
